Daily Encounter: A Week-day Devotional by a staff of ACTS International.

Thursday, December 30, 2021

"But we Christians have no veil over our faces; we can be mirrors that brightly reflect the glory of the Lord."¹

Following World War II some German students volunteered to help rebuild a cathedral in England, one that had been badly damaged by the Luftwaffe bombings. As the work progressed, they weren't sure how to best restore a large statue of Jesus with arms outstretched and bearing the familiar inscription, "Come unto me."

They were able to repair all the damage to the statue except for Christ's hands which had been completely destroyed. Should they even attempt to rebuild these?

Finally, the workers reached a decision that still stands today. They decided to leave the hands off and changed the inscription to read: "Christ has no hands but ours."

While Christ paid the price of and purchased our salvation on the cross with his life, he left the "hands on" work of building his kingdom in your hands and mine. We are his representatives and, for many, the only Christ they will ever see is "the Christ" in you and in me. A poster on the office wall at Wheaton College says it all:

    "The living truth is what I long to see,
    I cannot live on what used to be,
    So close your Bible and show me how
    The Christ you talk about is living now."

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, please use 'my hands' and help me to be as Christ, first to my loved ones, and then to whomever you bring in to my life today. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus' name, amen."

1. 2 Corinthians 3:18 (TLB)(NLT).

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